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Clover

I walked thru some Northern Sweet Spot planted a year ago in the spring...wow! The clovers were knee high and it was full of deer beds!

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It needs to be clipped of course but we have had 12" of rain here since the first of May so it will have to wait a bit. The clovers in this mix are beautiful and the BFT was blooming already.

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Sweet Spot Seed Source

I can't say for certain that deer actually prefer the high sugar ryegrass over clover food source but they certainly do like it and the mix has a nice blend of clovers, chickory and the HS ryegrass.

As once can see I wouldn't plant it anywhere that I couldn't keep clipped but it could be very useful in areas with heavy grazing pressure.
 
Wow, very informative read on clover, thanks for all the hard work and pictures with the links, I would like to try that Alice clover down on my property. I totally agree with your assesments on the mixes, the high price at @ $8 per pound plus mostly annual and innoculants etc, very little seed for the price, probably ending up around a true price of 15 to 20 bucks per pound for what would really last.
I have tried many clovers over the years at my properties in MS. Durana is a great clover down here, it competes very well with weeds and grasses, tolerates drought and heat, but it doesn't like heavy or wet soils. My main property has several plots that flood for short periods (usually 2-3 days at a time) a couple of times a year, but I have had some clover go as long as 7 days underwater and still survive when flooded during the winter, during the summer more than 3-4 days and its a goner.
My best bet for heavy soils is most any Ladino. I have had best results with in this order. Advantage (which is the main ladino clover in WI clover), Osceola which was developed in Florida, some Chickasaw which is a mix of Osceola and a couple of other Ladino's, and Barbanca which is from Brueburg (I noticed the same company where the Alice clover came from).
Something you may want to try for the deer and turkeys is a mixture of Yucci Arrowleaf and Crimson or one of your red clovers, I usually mix some plots of Yucci/Crimson/Wheat/Oats in the fall, it has quick fall growth and in the spring will grow to 3 feet tall, the deer really hammer the Arrowleaf in the late spring, the Turkeys love it for bugging/ nesting in the spring, this makes a good annual mix, may be worth trying an area up your way, I would be interested in seeing how it would fare that far North, I suspect it would do fine. I will try to post some pics of my plots for comparison.
 
The Chickasaw Ladino was about $135 per 50 pounds, The Osceola and Advantage Ladino's were @ $175 per 50, The Barblanca and Durana were both about $120 per 25 pounds. The Crimson was $35 per 50 pounds and the Arrowleaf was about $75 per 50 pounds. I also planted some Redland Max and it was about $130 per 50 pounds.
Both the Durana and Barblanca are good clovers, but in all honesty I feel the other Ladino clovers I have tested were as good or better especially considering their almost double price.
 
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Those are some good prices and great pics, sweet looking plots!

ALSO- I sure LOVE my ALICE WHITE CLOVER! I've planted about 12 varieties of clover so far and haven't found anything I like more - reasons like ability to grow anywhere, deer preference, how many years it lives (I have one going on 7 years, going strong), aggressiveness, great nitrogen fixing, protein, etc, etc. Talked about alot on earlier posts on this thread but again bringing it back up as a top choice. IMO.

OK- now I see Alice White has been talked about for the last few pages. Oops. Ok, here's just one more vote for Alice White!!! :)

DT- need to talk to you bout this sweet spot, want to hear more! :)
 
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Question for dbletree or others, What is in the Northern Sweet spot, from the picture it looks like it contains some type of Arrowleaf clover, I have seen Arrowleaf added to a lot of "throw and grow type mixes)

I am definitely going to try the Alice clover, I have also been wanting to try the Alcye clover but in the past I had trouble finding a supplier I have since found several and am going to try some this fall.
 
Composition (Northern Blend)
30% AberDart HSG Perennial Ryegrass
30% AberAvon HSG Perennial Ryegrass
11% Winter White Clover
11% Dynamite II Medium Red Clover
8% San Gabriel Birdsfoot Trefoil
5% Purple Top Turnips
5% Six Point Chicory


I planted my first plot of Alice White this spring, so I am excited to see how it takes off. I got mine from Welter's seed - great customer service!
 
HannibalBowhunter said:
Sweet Spot Composition (Northern Blend)
30% AberDart HSG Perennial Ryegrass
30% AberAvon HSG Perennial Ryegrass
11% Winter White Clover
11% Dynamite II Medium Red Clover
8% San Gabriel Birdsfoot Trefoil
5% Purple Top Turnips
5% Six Point Chicory


I planted my first plot of Alice White this spring, so I am excited to see how it takes off. I got mine from Welter's seed - great customer service!
Click to expand...

Welters carries the Sweet Spot mix listed above also

Sweet Spot Seed source

The interesting components in the SS mix are the High Sugar ryegrasses which are very attractive to livestock and deer. I can't say if they are more attractive but they certainly do love this mix in my trials so it's worth taking a look at for 3-5 year plantings. ;)
 
It's only been 10 days since I clipped my Alice white clover (see previous post) and its already re-grown and then some!

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It could stand to be clipped again but I just don't have time at the moment trying to get other plots planted between rains.

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One thing nice about this clover is that is stays lush and palatable even without clipping. I left my truck parked at the edge of it while planting soybenas an milo the other day.

I unhooked off the disc, came back a few minute later with the planter and a "flock" of deer were chowing down on the Alice at high noon only yards from my truck.

Seems they do like clover that came from a bag without a buck on it....;)
 
I have 2 new clover/oats plots planted. Wondering how tall I should let me clover get before it is safe to spray butyrac 200?
 
waylonb19 said:
I have 2 new clover/oats plots planted. Wondering how tall I should let me clover get before it is safe to spray butyrac 200?
Click to expand...

Check the label in the herbicide thread but I think you can spray any time although I would wait until broadleaf weeds actually become a serious threat to the young clovers via shading.

Wait till the weeds have all germinated and are growing well before spraying...;)
 
I am testing some persian and berseem clovers (for Grassland Oregon and SucraSeed) for winter hardiness here in Iowa and i'll be doggoned if most of them didn't survive!

They are in tiny sample plots seen here along of a white clover test plot (with rye) with berseem shown after surviving a brutal Iowa winter.

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The persian clovers did very well and it was all in blossom when I took this pic

May29Persian.jpg


I was on the tractor and fixin to clip them but they tell me that the persian blossoms smell great!

Right after I clipped them I got a note "could you save some seed when they dry"....oops! :p

Next time! ;)
 
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I have 2 clover/oats plots I planted this spring. They are doing great. I was wondering if I should mow the plots this yr. or just let them go without mowing this yr? Also the oats are about 2.5-3ft tall right now. If I mow will that heavy thatch suffocate my clover if I leave it lay? I sprayed them with Butyrac200 for broadleaf Sat.
 
waylonb19 said:
I have 2 clover/oats plots I planted this spring. They are doing great. I was wondering if I should mow the plots this yr. or just let them go without mowing this yr? Also the oats are about 2.5-3ft tall right now. If I mow will that heavy thatch suffocate my clover if I leave it lay? I sprayed them with Butyrac200 for broadleaf Sat.
Click to expand...

Eventually you may want to clip the tops off the oats to give the clover some sun but at the same time not cut so much off as to suffucate the clover.

Next time clip it a little shorter perhaps and anything remaining after that will just be straw stubble ;)
 
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